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FAA asked to temporarily suspend Boeing from rulemaking committee
US Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) is urging the FAA to temporarily suspend Boeing from a rulemaking advisory committee, describing the manufacturer’s inclusion on the panel as a “potential conflict of interest” amid continuing investigations into the 737 MAX. In an April 1 letter to FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell, the senator said that, in addition to suspending Boeing from the agency’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) for the ...
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US lawmakers urge DOT to probe pilot training, cockpit automation
US lawmakers, determined to leave no stone unturned as they push for answers in the aftermath of two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in five months, have asked the US Department of Transportation (DOT) auditor to investigate pilot training, with emphasis on cockpit automation and international standards.
The request, made via a March 29 letter from the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) committee and aviation subcommittee leadership to DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovel, targets three areas.
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AIX Hamburg 2019: Efforts revived on improving passenger sleep
Aircraft interior design consultants, physicians and cabin amenity providers are reviving the airline industry’s efforts to improve passenger sleep, at a time when data gathering and analytics technologies are opening new possibilities.
Sensors could be added to a business-class seat to measure the time and quality of sleep, panelists suggested during a discussion at the Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg. A passenger may be encouraged to share the data his or her connected watch has gathered on the same topic. In exchange, the carrier would offer increasingly customized services as the passenger comes again.
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Airbus to extend Skywise to aircraft cabin equipment
Airbus is working with industry stakeholders to create a data-producing aircraft cabin—covering smart galleys, lavatories, overhead bins and seats—with the aim of adding the data to its predictive maintenance and analytics platform Skywise.
“We are trying to create an ecosystem of all the devices, talking to each other in a secure way, creating a platform for compiling data and analyzing it. We see ourselves as an enabler.
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AIX Hamburg 2019: Airbus inaugurates A320/330 Airspace center
Airbus has extended its Airspace customer definition center (CDC) at Hamburg Finkenwerder to include the cabin customization of its A320 and A330 programs, which complements existing A350 XWB customization areas, which launched in 2014.
The CDC enables airline customers and operators to see, feel and test the real catalog solutions presented in a showroom environment. The extended facility was established in modernized historic aircraft hangars that were originally built in 1930.
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FAA to begin 737 Max software final review in 'coming weeks'
The US Federal Aviation Administration now expects to receive Boeing's final 737 Max software update in the "coming weeks", saying Boeing needs more time to develop the fix.
"The FAA expects to receive Boeing's final package of its software enhancement in the coming weeks for FAA approval," the agency says in a 1 April statement. "Time is needed for additional work by Boeing as the result of an ongoing review of the 737 Max flight control system, to ensure that Boeing has identified and appropriately addressed all pertinent issues."
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Boeing to trial SmartCabin technologies this year
Boeing intends to test-fly a range of developmental digital interior technologies later this year, as part of its SmartCabin programme.
The effort involves technologies as diverse as voice-activated cabin control systems for flight attendants, in-flight entertainment and information applications for passengers, and predictive maintenance tools for ground crews.
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AIX: Cabin interiors market takes cues from car industry
Aircraft cabin interiors will increasingly take cues from the car industry, which shares the unique challenge of keeping customers happy and comfortable for long periods of time in a confined space. Unlike the automobile sector, however, lead times to develop new aircraft cabins can take years rather than months – so innovation cycles need to be expedited for meaningful emulation to occur.
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ANALYSIS: Recaro aims to lead in business and economy cabins
Recaro Aircraft Seating chief executive Mark Hiller is nothing if not ambitious for the privately owned German business in which he is also a shareholder.
"We are the market leader in economy seating," he says. "And there is a fair chance that, 10 years from now, we can also be the leader in business class."
LinkAirlines
EasyJet gives cautious 2H outlook as Brexit uncertainty hits demand
UK LCC easyJet—which confirmed flights would continue to operate even in the event of a no-deal Brexit—has warned that uncertainty over Brexit is curbing customer demand, leading to a more cautious outlook for the second half of the year. The UK LCC said it expects a £275 million ($361 million) loss in the first half of the year, in line with previous guidance, on total first-half revenue up around 7.3% to approximately £2.34 billion with around 42 million ...
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System outage disrupts US airlines’ operations
A brief outage in a third-party vendor’s software system disrupted the operations of several US carriers April 1.
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines all reported morning delays or cancellations as a result of the problem.
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AIX Hamburg 2019: American Airlines turns to livestreaming
Airlines will increasingly seek to personalize the passenger experience through activities such as livestreaming events to passengers’ onboard devices, according to speakers at the Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg April 1.
“We have all this great [satellite] capacity and nobody is watching, so what’s the point?” Carlsbad, California-based communications company Viasat VP and GM-commercial aviation Donald Buchman said during the conference, which is part of Aircraft Interior Expo (AIX).
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AIX Hamburg 2019: Virgin Atlantic to use Flybe as growth platform
UK carrier Virgin Atlantic is planning to use the acquisition of UK regional Flybe to boost its own long-haul growth, which will have a renewed business traveler focus.
Virgin is going through a series of transitions, which will impact its business strategy over the coming months.
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Pobeda Airlines ends international service from St. Petersburg
Aeroflot LCC subsidiary Pobeda Airlines ceased international flights from St. Petersburg from March 30 over a dispute with a border control service. The carrier operated flights from Pulkovo International Airport to London Stansted, Tbilisi, Pisa, Milan Bergamo, Cologne and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen.
Pobeda said the border service dragged out preflight inspections, causing flight delays. The border authority said it performs lawful inspections and does not make exceptions for any airline, Russia’s TASS agency reported, quoting the border inspection.
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Russia’s Aeroflot to open Krasnoyarsk hub
Aeroflot Group has signed an agreement with the government of the Krasnoyarsk region and Krasnoyarsk International Airport to create a local international hub. The project will start in 2020.
The Russian flag carrier plans to base several aircraft types, including the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100), at the Siberian city. The total number and types of aircraft will be announced later.
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AIX: Etihad to trial Panasonic's Jet Lag Adviser
Etihad Airways is to be the first airline to trial Panasonic's new wellness solution, the Jet Lag Adviser, developed in collaboration with Detalytics and incorporated into the airline's app.
Jet Lag Adviser takes a range of passenger inputs including chronotype, circadian rhythms, height, weight, the nature of travel, and travel information such as flight times, routes and zones. It then uses artificial intelligence to produce personalised plans for passengers, with tailored advisories to help them reduce jet lag.
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AIX: Brussels Airlines contracts ABC for A330 cabin branding
Brussels Airlines' retrofit programme for its fleet of Airbus A330 long-haul twinjets is set to feature cabin branding elements from ABC International.
The Italian company is translating cabin concepts by UK design house JPA into flight-certified equipment.
Brussels Airlines and ABC first worked together in 2017, on Sukhoi Superjets leased from CityJet.
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Alrosa signals end of Tu-134 operations
Russian carrier Alrosa, one of the last operators of Tupolev Tu-134s, is set to halt services with the type next month.
Alrosa has a single Tu-134 registered RA-65693.
The airline indicates that it is preparing for the “upcoming shutdown” of the type, and will conduct “final flights” on 18 and 20 May.
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Indonesia raises price floor on domestic tickets
Indonesia raised the price floor on over 1,000 domestic routes on 29 March, and signalled that it will review the floor regularly to ensure the country’s airlines remain viable.
The adjustment has increased the minimum fare that permitted from 30% of the maximum set by the transport ministry for each of the routes to 35%.
LinkAirports
Work in progress
The new $11 billion Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in China’s Sichuan Province is beginning to take shape ahead of its early 2020s opening, writes Joe Bates.
Sichuan Province’s planned new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is being designed by the China Southwest Architectural Design & Research Institute Corp Ltd (CSWADI) in partnership with ADP Ingénierie.
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Construction work set to start on Detroit Metro runway
A $256 million project to reconstruct Runway 3L/21R at Detroit Metropolitan Airport’s (DTW) and its associated taxiways is to begin on April 1.
The 8,500-foot primary departure runway is located on the eastern portion of the airfield and its redevelopent costs will be funded with FAA Airport Improvement Program funds and airport revenue bonds.
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Studio ORD selected to design new Chicago O’Hare terminal
The expansion project at Chicago O’Hare is expected to cost $8.5 billion and is hoped to increase the ease with which passengers travel through the terminal, increasing the passenger experience.
LinkMilitary
Spain buys two MQ-9 Block 5 Reaper drones
Spain plans to purchase two General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Block 5 Reapers for $34 million via the US foreign military sales process.
The acquisition also provides for associated equipment, presumably ground control stations, spares and support equipment. The unmanned air vehicles are expected to be completed by 31 March 2020, according to a US Defense Department contract notice online.
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Riyadh reveals first locally built Hawk trainer
Saudi Arabia has rolled out the first of an eventual 22 BAE Systems Hawk Mk 165 jet trainers to be locally assembled.
Unveiled at King Abdulaziz air base by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the indigenous manufacturing effort is part of the country's Vision 2030 strategy to grow its defence sector.
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Iceland coastguard gives new life to ex-Bristow H225s
Iceland's coastguard is preparing for the entry into service of two search and rescue-configured Airbus Helicopters H225s as interim replacements for its current AS332 L1s.
The deal appears to show further repurposing of the Super Puma, with one of the pair (TF-EIR) a former oil and gas transport helicopter previously operated by Bristow Norway and owned by Swedish banking group SEB.
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Aviation Quote
An accident investigation hearing is conducted by non-flying experts who need six months to itemize all the mistakes made by a crew in the six minutes it has to do anything.
- Anonymous
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What was the longest-duration passenger flight ever made by an airline using an airplane powered by reciprocating engines?
1. 23 hours 19 minutes
2. 20 hours 19 minutes
3. 17 hours 19 minutes
4. 14 hours 19 minutes
2. Which of the following was the only operational Century-series fighter not deployed over Vietnam?
1. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
2. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
3. Convair F-106 Delta Dart
4. McDonnell F-110 Spectre
3. Multiengine pilots know that it can take substantial rudder-pedal force to arrest the yaw created by a failed engine when operating at minimum-controllable airspeed (VMC). The maximum force allowed by aircraft certification regulation Part 23.149 is
1. 75 pounds.
2. 100 pounds.
3. 150 pounds.
4. 200 pounds.
4. True or false; For instrument-rated pilots: A pilot is cleared to “cruise at 9,000 feet,” for example. This means that the pilot is cleared to execute the instrument approach at his destination airport.
5. True or false; The Beech King Air was the first civilian turboprop airplane produced in the United States.
6. True or false; American pilots know that when two airplanes are on converging courses, the airplane on the other’s right has right-of-way. In England (and a few other countries), however, the airplane on the other’s left has right-of-way.
